NDP's Adrian Dix casts doubt on plans for Kinder Morgan expansion

New Democratic Party leader Adrian Dix made the strongest comments he has so far Monday on a proposal to twin the Kinder Morgan pipeline.

New Democratic Party leader Adrian Dix made the strongest comments he has so far Monday on a proposal to twin the Kinder Morgan pipeline.

British Columbia NDP Leader Adrian Dix holds up a book entitled "The Art of Cruelty" while shopping for books at the Laughing Oyster Book Shop in Courtenay, B.C., while en route to a provincial election campaign stop in Parksville on Thursday April 18, 2013. A provincial election will be held May 14. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

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KAMLOOPS - New Democratic Party leader Adrian Dix shut the door almost entirely Monday on a proposed twinning of the Kinder Morgan pipeline from Alberta into Burnaby, saying an NDP government would not support a major increase of tanker traffic in and out of Metro Vancouver.

"We do not expect Vancouver to become a major oil-export port, as appears to be suggested in what Kinder Morgan is suggesting to the province and to the country," Dix said, in his strongest comments on the project so far.

"I don't see that transformation as being the right approach for our economy or our port."

Dix would not definitively rule out a twinning of the proposed TransMountain pipeline, saying Kinder Morgan has yet to submit a formal proposal. But he made clear the province under his leadership would strongly resist the idea.

"It seems to me that increasing from 80,000 barrels a day to 450,000 barrels a day (exported from Metro Vancouver in tankers) is a massive change in the nature of that operation," he said.

"That's a real problem."

The comments follow a long-standing commitment by Dix to wait until after Kinder Morgan submits a formal proposal before making any pronouncements.

To emphasize the strengthening of his position, the NDP on Monday launched a television ad where Dix pushes the pipeline issue.

"British Columbians are not willing to trade our coast and wilderness for an oil pipeline and risky oil tanker traffic," he says in the ad.

"Some things are too valuable to sell."

Environment Minister Terry Lake — whose riding Dix was in on Monday — was immediately critical of the NDP announcement.

"They seem to go whichever way the wind is blowing. What's the public debate? And then they make decisions based on that rather than having a full and thorough process," he said.

"They're against pipelines, they're against mines, they're against clean energy they're against Site C, they want a moratorium on fracking," he added.

"They're all over the map. It really is inconsistent, and I think that really will send chills down the spines of investors that are looking at British Columbia who want some certainty."

The B.C. Liberals have said they will subject the Kinder Morgan project to the same five conditions they are using to judge the proposed Enbridge pipeline.

Environmental groups were quick to celebrate the NDP announcement Monday, including noted environmentalist Tzeporah Berman, who in 2009 tore up her NDP membership card because of the party's promise in that election to cancel the carbon tax.

"I am going to be supporting Adrian Dix and the B.C. NDP in this election. I'm going to be volunteering for David Eby in my riding," she said in an interview Monday, applauding the party's position on both Kinder Morgan and Enbridge.

"In contrast, the B.C. Liberals under Christy Clark have mismanaged the climate file," she said

Eric Swanson, campaign director with the Dogwood Initiative, said those in his organization "applaud the NDP for standing up for the interests of British Columbians,"

Swanson said he believes the B.C. Liberals have been "avoiding the tough call all along," adding he has never seen Premier Christy Clark's five conditions as a serious process.

"To me that seemed like a dodge from day one," he said.

Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver, who has long argued that oilsands pipelines from Alberta to the B.C. coast are in the national interest, refused to comment Monday on Dix's declaration.

"I don't want to get into comments made during the heat of an election battle," he told reporters in a conference call from New York, where he was promoting Canada's status as "the world's responsible energy supplier."

But he stressed that Canada sells an overwhelming majority of its oil and gas from Western Canada to U.S. customers, and with surging American energy production Canada needs to open up foreign markets.

Dix's stronger stance on Kinder Morgan also follows a commitment by his party to pull out of an agreement with Ottawa that hands review and decision-making power to the federal government over the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline.

We will "tear up equivalency agreement in the first week," he repeated Monday, saying he believes the pipeline is "not in the economic or environmental interest of British Columbia."

As he unveiled his platform on the environment Monday, Dix also announced he would disband the controversial Pacific Carbon Trust, and immediately stop the practice where money from schools and hospitals is funnelled to corporations like Encana.

"We need to take action to ensure a low carbon government but the resources should be freed up and reinvested in those hospitals, in those schools, in those post-secondary institutions," he said.

Dix said his government would continue charging public-sector organizations for their emissions at the same rate as today, but that the proceeds would go back into projects within the public sector.

The party added there is already about $30 million in a fund at the Carbon Trust, all of which would immediately be put toward green projects in the public sector.

Lake said this shows the NDP misunderstands the concept of offsets.

"In order to be carbon neutral you have to reduce a tonne of carbon for every tonne of carbon you're producing. It's impossible to do that by just recycling the money back through the public sector," he said.

Lake acknowledged the Pacific Carbon Trust needs improving, but said it would be foolhardy to completely disband the organization.

"We know we can make improvements, but to throw the baby out with the bathwater I think is the wrong policy," he said.

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